I've been growing hops for a few years now and find it real rewarding. I agree with the process above. I cannot wait to try my Comet and Chinook this year. They are year 2 plants so I should have a good yield if the Asian Beatles don't get the best of them.
I loathe Japanese Beetles. They are like rats with wings.
Here's what they did to two of my aroma hop hills in one day:
They barely touched my CTZ hill, which went hermaphroditic on me.
I am pretty sure that Japanese beetles do not care for bitter hop cultivars. I sent a sample from this hill to Alpha Analytics for analysis just because I was curious. If I recall correctly (I need to look for the analysis sheet), the dried cones from this hill clocked in at over 16% alpha acid.